Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,288, dated May 1, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY BROWN, of Chalfant, in the county ot Champaign and State ot' Ohio, have invented anew and Im,- proved Water-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw-y ings, forming part of this specification, in' which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my invention, taken in the line x x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan sectional view of the same, y y and z z, Fig. l, showing the lines of sect-ion; Fig. 3, a detached and diminished view of the wheel; Figs 4 and 5, views of thejoints by which the gate-rods are connected to the gates.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corre sponding parts.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in horizontal water-Wheels 5 and it consists, first, in an improved arrangement of gates and the inode of operating the same, and in an improved form of buckets, as hereinafter fully shown and described, wherebyit is believed that alarge percentage ot` the power of the water is obtained. y

A represen ts the wheel, placed on a vertical shaft, B, the lower end of which is stepped in a cross-bar, O, attached to the under side of the circular case D, in which the wheel works.

The buckets of the wheel are formed by having semi-anniilar recesses a made in the periphery of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 3, and

having the rear parts ot' these recesses covered by metal plates b, the water entering at c and being discharged at c', as indicated by the arrows l in Fig. 3.

The case D has a series of horizontal chutes, E, made in it. These chutes have an oblique position relatively. with the buckets of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the water may strike or act upon the buckets about at right angles. Therefare twice as many chutes as there are buckets, so that there will be a continuous action of the water upon or against the buckets, and the lower part of the case D, next the wheel, has a recess, d, made in it to allow of the free escape of the water from the wheel.

In the outer part of each chute E there is a gate, F, which works on joints c, so placed or arranged that the gates when open will bear against, or be in contact with, one side ot' the chutes, so as to offer no obstruction to the free passage of the water into the chtite, as shown in Fig. 2. These gates F, at their outer ends, have rods j' attached, which extend upward,

Aand are curved or bent over at right angles at their upper ends, as shown at g, and the ends yof the parts g are bent upward to form pintles which is fitted loosely on the wheel-shaft B,

so that it may rise and fall freely thereon.

From the above description it will be seen that by raising` and lowering the ring H the gatesF may be opened andclosed, all the gates moving simultaneously. ing through the chutcs,acts byimpact against the upper parts ot' the buckets, and in descending by gravity and force through the lower parts ot' the buckets, reacts upon said parts. rI he annular shape ot' the buckets admits of the water passing through them without the current or stream being broken, and the water is allowedy to act in the most efficient manner upon or against the buckets, passing through smoothly and freely, so as to give its effect and then leave the wheel without serving as a drag to the latter. The manner ot' attaching the rods Gr to the gates F admits ot the latter being opened and closed with the least possible degree ot' friction.

Having thus described my invention, what lclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A water-wheel provided with semi-annular buckets a, arranged, as shown, in connection with a series of chutes, E, in the case D, which encompasses the wheel, substantially as described.

2. Operating, opening, and closing the gates F by means ot' rods G, attached at their outer ends, by giinbal or equivalent `joints, to crankrods secured to the outer ends ot the buckets, and attached at their inner ends to a ring', H,

tted loosely on the wheel-shaft B, substan- J. C. JoNEs, I. E. VINCENT.

The water, in pass- 

